HCR 178

R-219  Page 1 of 1
2026
No. R-219. House concurrent resolution in memory of former Senator William H.
Carris of Wells.
                                         (H.C.R.178)
   Offered by All Members of the House
   Offered by All Members of the Senate
   Whereas, although born across the Connecticut River in Hanover, New Hampshire,
Bill Carris was a proud fifth-generation Vermonter, and
   Whereas, as a youth, his enthusiasm for daring winter athletic competitions inspired
him to train and succeed as a Junior Olympic ski jumper, and
   Whereas, Bill Carris graduated from Rutland High School and the former Castleton
State College, where he met his future wife, Barbara Tracy, and then served in the U.S.
Army as a financial specialist stationed in Germany, and
   Whereas, on returning home to Vermont, he entered his family’s business, Carris
Reels, a manufacturer of reels for wire and cable packaging, and in 1980 he assumed
leadership of the company, transforming this small enterprise into an international
industry leader, and
   Whereas, in 1995, Bill and Barbara Carris implemented an ESOP (employee stock
ownership plan) at Carris Reels, converting the company’s ownership into a structure that
directly benefitted the staff and became the centerpiece of the corporation’s operational
philosophy, and
  Whereas, beyond his business career, Bill Carris was a passionate philanthropist who
was focused on the betterment of his Rutland County community, and
   Whereas, in 2006, Bill Carris decided to serve his fellow citizens in the public sector,
and the voters of Rutland County elected him to the Vermont Senate for the first of three
consecutive terms, where his business knowledge was relied upon during his service on
the Committees on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs and on
Finance, and among his other committee assignments were Institutions, Joint Rules,
Judicial Rules, Legislative Information Technology, and Senate Rules, on which he
served as vice chair, and
   Whereas, this admired Rutland County leader died on October 22, 2025, at 81 years of
age, and his survivors include his wife, Barbara; children; and grandchildren, now
therefore be it
   Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
  That the General Assembly extends its sincere sympathy to the family of former
Senator William H. Carris, and be it further
   Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
the family of Bill Carris.
                                                                             VT LEG #387216 v.1